2024 Seymour, Indiana tornado
|type = EF4 tornado |image location = Washington IL Tornado 3.jpg |image caption = Tornado near peak strength at 1:23 pm. |date = April 12, 2024 |times = 1316-1358 |touchdown = 1:16 pm EDT |winds = 175 mph (estimated) |injuries = 491 |fatalities = 36 |damage = $276.1 million (2034 USD) |areas = Jackson County, Jennings County, and Ripley County, Indiana |tornado season = 2024 tornado season }} The 2024 Seymour, Indiana tornado was a devastating EF4 tornado which tracked through southeastern Indiana in the early afternoon of Friday, April 12, 2024. Part of the 2024 Super Outbreak, the largest tornado outbreak in recorded history, the Seymour tornado was the deadliest and second-costliest ever recorded in the state of Indiana, causing 36 deaths and $276.1 million USD in damage. An additional 491 people were injured by the tornado, and hundreds of livestock were killed. The tornado remained on the ground for 42 minutes, leaving a path 34.25 miles long and 410 yards wide at its peak, making it the longest-tracked tornado in the state of Indiana since the Henryville tornado on March 2, 2012, which remained on the ground for 45.79 miles. The Seymour tornado was produced by a long-lived and particularly intense supercell which produced several other strong to violent tornadoes, including a large and destructive EF5-rated tornado which caused five deaths in the town of Medora at around 12:45 pm EDT. After the Seymour tornado dissipated, its parent supercell produced a destructive EF3 tornado which caused considerable damage in the towns of Millville and New Miami, Ohio at around 2:50 pm. The final intense tornado produced by the Seymour tornado's parent supercell touched down at 5:17 pm and caused high-end EF4 damage near Sycamore, Ohio, remaining on the ground for nearly an hour and leaving behind a 51-mile path. Meteorological synopsis The Seymour tornado was part of the 2024 Super Outbreak, the largest and most intense tornado outbreak on record in the United States. The outbreak was produced by an intense low-pressure system that developed over the Central Plains states in the early morning of April 10. As the system moved eastward over the Midwestern States it was further intensified by a warm and extremely humid mass of air and particularly sharp temperature gradient across the system. As early as April 8, forecast conditions for April 12 were notably analogous to April 3, 1974, and the Storm Prediction Center issued a 30% risk of significant severe weather over much of the Eastern United States. By the morning of April 12, a large-scale trough extended over nearly two-thirds of the contiguous United States, and a very powerful 80–100 knot mid-level jet stream moved into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys behind the trough and created strong wind shear, along with a low pressure center moving quickly northeastward across those areas on April 12. During the afternoon of April 12, CAPE values were estimated to be in the range of 2000–3000 J/kg across Louisiana and southern Mississippi, with the moderate instability moving northeastward across the southern Tennessee Valley; additionally, temperatures across the southeastern United States ranged from the 70s°F (mid-20s°C) to the lower 90s°F (near 35 °C). Helicity levels ranged from 450–600 m2/s2, which supported some significant tornadic activity and strong to violent long-track tornadoes. Supercells developed rapidly over central and southern Indiana during the late morning hours of the 10th, several of which quickly became tornadic. The first tornadoes of the day developed over central Indiana at around 11:00 am EDT. Several weak and short-lived tornadoes occurred within the hour and caused minor damage. The first intense tornado of the day was an EF3-rated multiple-vortex tornado which struck Quincy, Indiana at 12:17 pm, and was quickly followed by a high-end EF2 tornado which caused considerable damage in the town of Monrovia. The first EF5 tornado of the outbreak struck the town of Medora, Indiana at 12:40 pm, causing five fatalities and 19 injuries over its 25-mile path. The mesocyclone that spawned the Medora tornrado remained intense, and several minutes after the Medora tornado dissipated, another funnel cloud was observed in rural Jackson County to the southwest of Hangman Crossing, and by 1:13 a rope-like funnel was witnessed by several storm chasers. As the tornado touched down and rapidly intensified as it approached Seymour, a rare tornado emergency was issued for the city; however, many residents were unable to take appropriate shelter from the storm in time. Tornado summary The Seymour tornado touched down at 1:16 pm EDT in rural Jackson County roughly two miles to the southwest of Hangman Crossing and initially inflicted EF0-level damage to tree branches and the roofs of a few frame houses. Shortly after touching down, the tornado began a period of rapid intensification, reaching EF3 strength within minutes of touchdown. Numerous well-constructed frame and split-level houses were demolished in Hangman Crossing, with only portions of interior walls left standing at a few houses. Trees in Hangman Crossing were partially debarked and stripped of their branches, and several cars and trucks were thrown in excess of 130 yards. One man was killed in Hangman Crossing, and 16 others were injured. The tornado reached EF4 strength as it continued into Seymour, demolishing several warehouses, a furniture store, and a small courthouse. As the tornado moved into residential areas, hundreds of houses in its path were severely damaged or destroyed, with several being completely leveled. Three poorly-anchored houses along Vine Street were cleanly swept away with only empty foundations remaining, but damage surveyors determined that no ground or pavement scouring occurred in this area and that nearby shrubs and hedges were not debarked, preventing an EF5 rating. The tornado passed directly over Seymour High School, demolishing the southern third of the building and leaving only sections of interior walls standing in the northern portion. At a football field to the south of the high school, a set of bleachers was tossed and a scoreboard collapsed, power poles and chain-link fences were ripped from the ground, and a narrow stretch of soil scouring occurred. The tornado then moved over the city's central business district while near peak strength. The Seymour Police Station, five restaurants, a gun shop, a dollar store, a tanning salon, and a public library were demolished or leveled, and an additional 52 businesses sustained varying degrees of damage. A large trucking plant on the east side of Seymour had nearly all of its roof, one exterior wall, and half of another exterior wall completely removed, and two neighboring smaller warehouses were completely demolished before the tornado exited the Seymour city limits. The tornado continued over rural areas to the northeast of Seymour, sweeping away several barns and debarking trees and small shrubs before striking a large farmhouse, which was completely leveled. As the tornado continued over a series of small wood lots, hundreds of trees were debarked, toppled, and uprooted at low-end EF4 strength. The tornado weakened to EF3 intensity as it struck and mostly demolished a frame house to the east of a wood lot and tossed a nearby pickup truck 145 yards. A few barns and outbuildings were completely flattened along West County Road 175, and numerous trees in a small grove were snapped, uprooted, and partially debarked. The tornado reached EF4 strength a second time as it passed over a rural subdivision, leveling four well-constructed and anchor-bolted frame houses, debarking and denuding several large trees, and tossing an above-ground swimming pool 240 yards. No fatalities occurred in this subdivision, although six people were injured. The tornado weakened to EF3 strength as it passed to the south of Queensville. 17 frame houses were demolished with only interior walls left standing, resulting in three fatalities and eight injuries. The Bible Baptist Church had its roof completely removed, while the North Vernon Baptist Church lost its roof and two exterior walls. Two large factories in an industrial area to the north were severely damaged, with the Decatur Plastics Products building losing its entire roof and having its southeast corner completely demolished. Several more trees were debarked as the tornado continued over another small forest. Moving over an orchard, the tornado snapped and uprooted several young apple trees at high-end EF2 strength. A mushroom barn was struck next and mostly demolished, injuring two people. The final death caused by the tornado occurred around five miles to the northeast of the North Vernon Municipal Airport, where an elderly woman was killed in the destruction of her mobile home. After crossing Long Branch Creek, the tornado regained EF3 strength a final time, completely demolishing a small brick church and leveling two neighboring farmhouses. Damage in this area was initially rated EF4 before being downgraded in a secondary survey based on the lack of any debarked trees or ground scouring. Consistent high-end EF2 damage was observed as the tornado cut through another forest, toppling and snapping trees in its path. A small inn near the edge of the forest had its roof removed and a portion of its second floor collapsed, and three split-level houses in a small cluster were partially demolished. The tornado weakened rapidly soon after exiting the forest and moving over fields, causing minimal damage over the final five miles of its path. The funnel took on a slanted elephant trunk shape as it passed to the northeast of Osgood; shortly afterwards, the tornado roped out and dissipated to the south of Napoleon at 1:58 pm. Casualties and impact